No 'new' budget for Penang

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has no need to recalibrate the state budget this year, says Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix).
He said this was because the state's income was not dependent on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and did not have leakages.

He pointed out his administration had never tabled a supplementary budget since assuming power in 2008 and had recorded budget surpluses too.

He cited two reasons the first was being prepared by marking up land acquisition costs by a minimum of 25% to prepare for contingencies.

He said the second factor was the state being able to save some 40% on costs due to implementing open tenders.

"These savings allow us to record budget surpluses every year," he said in a press conference today.

When tabling the state budget for 2016, the Lim administration announced a RM1.1billion budget with an estimated deficit of RM292.13million.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to announce a recalibrated federal budget on Jan 28 due to falling oil prices.

In a separate matter, Lim said people can see for themselves if his government was arrogant or not over a tiff between the Chew
Jetty and the state on celebrating the Jade Emperor's Birthday.

"People can see for themselves, we have kept an open attitude all this while," he said when asked about the issue where the state was criticised for holding a cultural festival during the religious celebration.

Earlier, his political secretary Wong Hon Wai said the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations will be jointly organised by the Chew Jetty, Tanjung MP Ng Wei Aik and Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Lau Keng Ee.

Wong, who is Air Itam assemblyman, said the state was not interfering with the religious function but helping the community to organise the cultural performance to complement the build up to the festival.

"The Chew Jetty also acknowledges the state is organising the cultural performance and not interfering with the religious function," he said in the same press conference attended by Chew Jetty chairman Chew Choon Seng and secretary Chew Beng Hing.